Just by looking at the title, I assumed this book would take place somewhere in Europe. Love that it took place in Appalachia. Fantastic setting for this book. Another great read for spooky season. Love that it played into an allegory for Appalachian folklore and family histories. Very creative and inventive storytelling. Will definitely be recommending this one to friends and patrons at our library!

A really unique and engaging book that delves into the nuances of generational trauma through a family struggling to cope with the loss of their mother...who just happens to be created from a bog. While I think structurally some pacing changes would have helped and the ending could've been tighter the Bog Wife was so enthralling to me. I kept returning to the Haddesleys world and wanting to get off work faster so I could read it. Will definitely be picking up Chronisters other work.

🍂The Bog Wife by Kay Chronister Book Thoughts🍂

Are you looking for an atmospheric journey into an Appalachian cranberry bog run by a small, isolated family? Well you should definitely pick this one up when it comes out in October!

The Haddesley family has lived on this bog for generations. They made a compact with the land. If they tended it, the bog would sustain them and provide them with a Bog Wife. Once a patriarch dies, he is offered to the bog in exchange for the wife for the eldest son.

But when the ritual fails and no wife is provided, the group of five Haddesley siblings are left confused on what to do. Told through the five unique perspectives of each sibling, we see the struggle between holding on to generational customs and making new ones.

This story is so rich in its scenery. I could picture the bog and worn down house with ease. And while five POVs may seem like a lot for one story, it really worked well in this case. Each voice felt different, making it easy to distinguish which sibling was which.

Another thing I loved about this book was that there were so many family secrets discovered in this novel! I always feel bad for the characters who were raised on something their whole life only to find out they were lied to.

This book is perfect for people wanting a read that gets them fall ready. It’s steeped in folklore and supernatural elements. A beautifully written character study on a family in disarray.

The Bog Wife by Kay Chronister comes out on October 1st, just in time for Halloween.

The Bog Wife sits somewhere among Our Wives Beneath the Sea, North Woods, What Moves the Dead and Shirley Jackson’s horror atmospheres. It’s loaded with metaphors of life and death., grief, and family trauma.
I give it a solid 4 stars, the characters were interesting and it read rather quickly. There were a few plot points that I would have liked to see further developed, but overall this was a good read, and just in time for spooky season!

*4.5 stars*

Huge thank you to NetGalley and Counterpoint for the eARC!

Wow! I loved the writing style and how the tone would sometimes shift from one sentence to the next. It kept me guessing, and I never got it right. Each sibling had a distinct voice, and by the end, they were all (mostly) sympathetic. I didn't think the author would be able to give a proper ending to each of these characters, but it happened. I want to look into more of Chronister's work after this!

I went into this novel expecting horror, but the story never delivered on that particular genre. This is a gothic portrait of a deeply dysfunctional family untangling from one another. I adjusted my expectations as I read and ended up enjoying it for what it is, but it certainly wasn’t what I expected.

I wanted this to be so much more than what it was. There were parts where I felt like it was really going to get there, but it couldn't choose a direction to take. It failed to lean in to a theme. I really enjoyed the switching POVs of the siblings, I thought that really helped the story move along well. I think there were a few too many times where the author just told us instead of showed us. I feel like there was so much potential here. The writing was very well done and the ideas were very original, when you get to the twist of what Charlie finds out, I was shocked. I just think perhaps a bit better part on the editing side of helping steer towards a more cohesive direction would have been helpful.

This is dysfunctional family fiction masquerading as a kind of gothic. Not quite horror, not quite environmental treatise. The premise is interesting but the details didn't gel into a cohesive narrative.

Utterly delicious. Claustrophobic and beautifully written, this was the damp, mildewy, twisty, "what the hell is going on" bog book of my dreams. The setup is perfectly cryptic, and I really didn't guess where the story was going--all of the Haddesley siblings had such fascinating(ly tormented) POV chapters, and I found myself devouring chapter after chapter without coming up for air. Excellent themes of stewardship, legacy, and what it means to have & find purpose.

Whatever Kay Chronister writes next, I will be there. This was brilliant.

A creeping, beautiful gothic tale delving into the complexities of family, legacy, and the stories we tell ourselves about ourselves!

The setting is phenomenal, and the premise was great. However, the execution didn't work me. I struggled to maintain interest. It was more family drama than horror for too long. I expected the book to be scary, but it wasn't.

I was waiting for it to “pull me in” but it never quite did. Still an interesting twist on a new and inventive concept with an old foundation.

Not as scary as I hoped but still an enjoyable and compelling read. Perfect for October, so the timing of publication is perfect!

In the isolated backwoods of West Virginia is a decrepit old manor house surrounded by a bog. The patriarch is dying and all of his children are required home to perform an occult burial ritual. Middle daughter, Wenna, returns to the place she ran from a decade ago. Interesting premise.

The atmosphere of this book is really amazing and draws you in from page one. Kay Chronister does a phenomenal job of layering the complex family drama with the perfect amount of gothic themes making this a fantastic addition to your TBR.

The blurb on this book had me intrigued and curious and that curiosity continued throughout the book. This was a tumbling narrative of family dysfunction and a strange ecosystem they live in and almost worship. This book did not disappoint as the storyline changed and developed. It became harder to stop reading late into the night to see where we were all heading.

I didn’t know I needed this Appalachian folk horror gothic book in my life but here we are. The Bog Wife is a strange yet compelling tale of the Haddesley family who share an intimate relationship with the bog which sustains them in more ways than one. The bog provides and in exchange they must provide a worthy sacrifice.

The family carries out a tradition of bizarre rituals with the bog, designed to ensure the continuation of the family’s lineage. This is a haunting yet beautiful written story of family secrets, sacrifices and relationships. The character development is superb and the writing exquisite, treading the line between fantasy and horror. I will be thinking about this one for a long time to come.

Thank you to NetGalley and Titan Books for my eARC!

The Bog Wife by Kay Chronister is a hauntingly atmospheric novel that delves into folklore and mysticism with rich, evocative prose. As a fan of Chronister’s previous work, I found this story’s dark allure and intricate storytelling to be deeply captivating. The novel’s eerie charm and compelling narrative make it a standout addition to Chronister’s impressive body of work.

A West Virginia family channels their Irish roots and claims a oneness with their land. The bog calls to some of them and repels others.

The atmosphere in this book is incredible. It is a really compelling work of Appalachian folk horror that blurs the line between the mundane and the supernatural, reality and lies, and family ties vs. family binds.